Modern Era Part Two Flashcards

Question

ballet

Answer 1

a highly stylized type of dance that often interprets a story; first developed in the 17th century at the court of Louis XIV

Answer 2

Genre- originally composed for the ballet; later reworked into an orchestral suite Composition date- 1936 Source of the program- a play by Willian Shakespeare Performing forces- large orchestra with expanded percussion

Answer 3

Key- E minor Form- ternary

Answer 4

Section A: Key- begins in E minor Tempo- Allegro pesante Meter- 4/4 Section B: Key- E minor Tempo- Moderato tranquillo Meter-3/4

Answer 5

A: The two-measure opening establishes E minor, played by low strings and low brass violins and clarinets play a melody rising and falling sequentially through the tonic and dominant minor arpeggios aggressive dotted-note figures impart a feeling of noble arrogance syncopation the new theme in D minor heralds the arrival of Lord Capulet and Tybalt ascending and descending natural minor scale played f by French horns in octaves the section ends with an emphatic authentic cadence B: new melody gently outlines ascending E minor triad played by flutes, later joined by clarinets harps, pizzicato strings, and celesta enhance the ethereal atmosphere this music accompanies Juliet’s first dance at the Capulet ball with her handsome suitor, Paris

Answer 6

Born in Sontsovaka Father was an agricultural engineer Mother, Maria, an amateur pianist, gave him his first piano lessons at age four Began composing at age five, loved opera, and wrote several while still in his youth Lessons with Russian pianist Reinhold Gliére The youngest student ever admitted to St. Petersburg Conservatory Composition teachers included Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov His first two piano concertos premiered and were published while still a student Visited London and met Sergei Diaghilev who commissioned a ballet Left for the US, travelling in Japan, gave recitals critics described his piano as savage, steely, mechanistic The comic opera the love for three oranges premiered in Chicago settled in Paris but frequently travelled abroad international reputation as a virtuoso pianist and composer

Answer 7

Classical elements- sonata, rondo, (forms), concerto, symphony, sonata, suite (genres) Lyrical elements- sweeping melodies and lush harmonies Motoric Elements- constant rhythmic drive Search for Innovation- progressive features such as dissonance, abrupt changes of key, rhythmic complexities, unique approach to pianistic writing, novel textures, percussive effects Other characteristics- harmonic language grounded in tonality though dissonant, virtuosity, polytonality, scherzo-like quality

Answer 8

Genre- chamber music Composition date- 1941 Translation of title- Quarter for End of Time Structure- eight movements Performing forces- clarinet, violin, cello, piano

Answer 9

Genre- chamber music Composition date- 1941 Translation of title- Quarter for End of Time Structure- eight movements Performing forces- clarinet, violin, cello, piano

Answer 10

Translation of movement title: Vocalise, for the Angel Who Announces the End of Time Source of inspiration: The Book of Revelation Form- ABA’ Tempo- opens Robuste, modéré Meter: 3/4

Answer 11

Section A: marked Robuste, modéré dissonant, crashing chords played on the piano in alternation clarinet trills suggest bird calls Section B: marked Presque lent, impalpable, lointain sourdine (mute) indicated for violin and cello; marked pp very quiet, reverent, and mysterious character is created cello and violin play a lyrical melody the piano accompanies with descending parallel-motion chords ends with repeated notes in a very soft dynamic Section A1: fast tempo and crashing dissonant chords return motives reverse the direction from the opening section; now descending abrupt clarinet motive concludes the movement

Answer 12

Musical Style: Three significant sources of inspiration: Spirituality: devout Catholic faith reflected in religious-themed works, employed actual chant melodies Non-Western Musical Sources: influenced by the rhythmic pulses found in ancient Greek poetry, explored classical Indian music, developed an approach that regarded rhythm as an accumulation of durations rather than a division fo time into equal parts, used traditional songs and birdsong of Japan Birdsong: systematically researched and transcribed birdsongs Other style traits: parallel chord streams; added sixth, ninth, and aggregate chords -used whole-tone octatonic, and modal scales -used to term “modes of limited transposition” -adapted serial principles to melodic and rhythmic elements, instrumentation, and dynamics -thought of chords and modulations in terms of colors -music captured improvisatory spirit and explored keyboard virtuosity

Answer 13

Opening, Rehearsal Section A- A massive cluster chord containing every half step within a five-octave span is played, and instruments fade in and out as the micropolyphony is established Rehearsal Sections B to D- single pitches in suspended whole notes give way to regularly increasing subdivisions (duplets, triplets, quadruplets, etc.); undulating thirds and trills appear in Sections C and D Rehearsal Section E- leaping figures, dotted rhythms, syncopation, marked pppp Rehearsal Sections F to G- after a culmination point in the extremely high wind register, winds and violins fade away; only lower strings remain by Section G Rehearsal Sections H to J- builds back to ffff Rehearsal Sections K to M- individual instruments, single pitches emerg Rehearsal Sections N to T- soft, gentle figures in a dense polyphony bring the work to its conclusion

Answer 14

Romanian Concerto Poème Symphonique Glissandi Requiem Closk and Clouds Continuum

Answer 15

-influences were far-reaching and diverse, drawing from both European Classical tradition and non-Western sources -early works drew from folk traditions -often humorous and satirical -produced electronic works -developed technique he referred to as “micro polyphony” -employed addictive rhythm, the alternation of irregular groupings of notes like 5+3 or 3+5

Answer 16

Genre-fanfare composition date- 1942 performing forces- brass instruments with percussion

Answer 17

a loud ceremonial piece or flourish often featuring brass instruments and percussion

Answer 18

-Copland developed a populist style based on European traditions but overlaid with American elements -He regarded his teacher and mentor, Nadia Boulanger, as the strongest influence on him (neo-classicism) -admired the bold freshness of Stravinsky -urban jazz influenced many works -some Mexican influences (folk tunes and dances) -fused together American music and dance vocabulary, cowboy songs -musical nationalism proudly reflected -in his film scores, he remained true to his own style rather than following neo-romanticism -experimented with Schoenberg’s twelve-tone system

Answer 19

(1900-1990)

Answer 20

-born in Brooklyn to Russian Jewish immigrant parents -while studying piano during his youth, fell under the spell of post-Romantics such as Richard Strauss and Hugo Wolf -traveled to France where he attended the newly opened American School of Music at Fontainebleau -became the first in a long line of American Composers to study with the legendary teacher Nadia Boulanger -intially audiences were wary, even hostile towards the modernism of Copland’s music -recognized early in his career the power of radio, film, phonograph, and the theater, specifically ballet and modern dance -throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he forged a more accessible style of writing which afforded him a broader audience -career took him on the road continually -distinctly “American voice” heard in his music did not protect him from the ravages of McCarthyism; he was excluded from the roster of musicians chosen to help mark the inauguration of Eisenhower -regarded as “The Dean of American Composers”

Answer 21

Key- B flat major form- introduction, followed by four statements of the “fanfare” theme tempo- very deliberately meter- C

Answer 22

Introduction: marked “very deliberately”, opens boldly (ff) with the percussion playing three statements of the long-short-short rhythmic motive, timpani intones a perfect forth Fanfare Theme: First Statement: Trumpets announce the main fanfare theme in unison, played f, prominent use of perfect interval leaps, a characteristic feature of fanfares, punctuated by percussion with the long-short-short rhythmic motive Fanfare Theme: Second Statement: French horns join the trumpets in a slightly varied restatement of the fanfare theme, including shifts between the duple and triple meter Fanfare Theme: Third Statement: trombones and tuba present the fanfare theme; the answering phrase is further expanded with a repeated descending line, and the texture becomes thicker Fanfare Theme: Fourth Statement: marked pesante and fff, the final statement of the fanfare theme is played by the full ensemble, final measures marked by a crescendo and broadening tempo

Answer 23

Genre- orchestral music Composition date- 1974 Commissioned by- Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Performing forces- large orchestra with an expanded percussion section Structure- seven movements

Answer 24

Key-F major Form- free-form Meter- changing meters

Answer 25

The French-Canadian folk song “à la claire fontaine” is a melodic source for “The Contented House” -introduction marked Poco lento, semplice, con teneremente -opens p with a serene, homorhythmic passage in the strings -material provides a backdrop for statements of the folk tune and also serves as a frame and interlude linking the statements -the first quote of “à la claire fontaine,” marked dolce, is played by the oboe, answered by the strings -the flute plays the second phrase of the folk melody, again answered by the strings -music builds to a climax, orchestral density increases; ascending strings and woodwinds are punctuated with woodwind trills, timpani roll, and cymbals -clarinets gently cascade downwards in parallel streams of thirds and sixths

Answer 26

-influenced by Bartók, Copland, Schoenberg, Ralph V Williams -musical style has many facets, including neo-Romantic characteristics: lyricism, lush harmonies, and emotional intensity; also experimented with serialism, aleatoric procedures, and electronic music -many works display nationalism, often including quotations from Canadian folk music -the commitment to pedagogy demonstrated in didactic works for both piano and violin -commissions from leading Canadian performers

Answer 27

Canada Mosaic The Pines of Emily Carr violin concerto string quartets, duo sonatas for piano and violin, violin and cello Theme and Variations for Piano on B-A-C-H Aegean Sketches; Music of Our Time The Return of the Native Spring Rhapsody Christina Songs

Modern Era Part Two Flashcards

(56 cards)